


ladybugs and dandelion fluff

by tragicallynerdy



Series: ursa major [3]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series), UnDeadwood (Web Series)
Genre: (not of main characters), Adopted Children, Clayton and Matthew and Ada - centric, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Parental Death, Kid Fic, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mothers Miriam and Arabella, There is like one chapter that has some heavy Clayton h/c, Uncles Matthew and Clayton, Were-Creatures, but otherwise it's fluff, werebear!Matthew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-26 17:08:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30109257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tragicallynerdy/pseuds/tragicallynerdy
Summary: Sometime in the future of the werebear 'verse, Miriam and Arabella have adopted a daughter. This is a collection of soft, fluffy ficlets focused on the adventures of Ada and her uncles Matthew and Clayton.
Relationships: Matthew Mason/Clayton Sharpe, Miriam Landisman/Arabella Whitlock
Series: ursa major [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1721386
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	1. In which berries are picked and butterflies are caught

**Author's Note:**

> Hey folks! Welcome to the next installment of the werebear 'verse! Don't worry, the others aren't done, this is just another collection of ficlets from later in the same 'verse.
> 
> So I wrote a few ficlets featuring Uncles Matty and Clay and their niece Ada a billion years ago for some folks over on the UnDeadwood discord, and haven't bothered to post any of them. But it felt like a good time to, since I'm knee-deep in much longer WIP stuff that won't get posted for a while. I only have about 6 or 7 ficlets in this one written right now, but expect there to be more eventually. As is the case with , this is largely prompts-based ficlets, and I low-key am always accepting prompts (although no promises that prompts will get written in anything resembling a timely manner). This won't have an update schedule, and will be updated when I find time and inspiration. 
> 
> This is set sometime after _every bit as feral_. It's loosely chronological. Ada is four-ish years old, and at this point has been with the gang for close to a year. At some point in time the story of how Ada comes to be adopted by Miriam and Arabella will get posted, but now is not that time XD 
> 
> In general, there is a warning for some minor mentions/references to parental death (of Ada's birth mother). Any other chapter-specific warnings will be put in the chapter notes. 
> 
> This chapter in particular was a combination of prompts from afearsomecritter and Pantherlily. Thanks pals!
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy!

“Uncle Clayton, when we gonna get there?”

Clayton smiled down at Ada, who was skipping beside him, swinging their hands back and forth.

“Soon, kiddo. You wanna ride on Uncle Matty or up on my shoulders ‘till we get there?”

She hopped up and down, tugging on his arm. “I want an Uncle Matty ride! Please?”

Clayton glanced back at Matthew for confirmation. The giant werebear chuffed and yawned, padding forward to bump his shoulder into Clayton’s side as they walked. “C’mere.”

He hooked the two baskets he carried over his elbow, then swung Ada up into the air, grinning at her giggles. Settling her onto Matthew’s broad and fuzzy back, he patted his husband’s fur. 

“Hold on tight, now.”

Ada clutched fistfuls of Matthew’s fur in her tiny hands, kicking her feet lightly against his sides. “Do you think we’ll pick enough berries that I can take some home for Mama Bells and Mama Mim?”

Clayton nodded. “Yeah, so long as you and Uncle Matty don’t eat all of them first.”

Ada giggled, and Matthew snorted in protest. Clayton patted him on the shoulder, then headed off the path and down a smaller trail through the trees. “C’mon, this way.”

They walked for another few minutes before they broke out into a wide clearing. Sunlight shone through the trees, dappling the green grass and showing off the thing they’d come for – thick berry bushes, laden with fruit. Matthew stuck his nose in the air and whuffed in deep breaths, and Ada held out her arms for Clayton expectantly. He lifted her down, tousled her hair that was already coming out of their short black braids, and handed her the smaller basket.

“You wanna stick with Uncle Matty while he eats everything in sight, or help me pick?”

She bounced up and down. “I wanna go with Uncle Matty!”

Clayton laughed. “Alright. Always stay where one of us can see you, okay?”

She nodded. Matthew nudged closer to Clayton and stuck his nose in his ear, snorting loudly. Clayton shoved him away and swatted his shoulder.

“I swear to god –“

Ada giggled, Matthew’s broad tongue licked across his face, and then they were off, running across the clearing towards the bushes on the far side. The juxtaposition of the two made for an adorable sight, a large lumbering bear thudding through the grass beside a tiny girl, black hair in braids, faded yellow dress bright in the summer sun, swinging her basket back and forth as she ran. Clayton ducked under his hat to hide his smile, then followed them to a nearby bush.

* * *

Clayton’s basket was half-full when he heard the shriek of laughter ring out behind him. Matthew and Ada had been fairly quiet, picking and eating beside him for a while, then moving on to other bushes as Matthew stripped them of their fruit with the efficiency only a bear possessed. They were a good team, Ada crouching between Matthew’s front legs and picking close to the ground while Matthew munched on the higher fruit. Sometimes when he glanced over Ada would be beside Matthew, pointing at a particularly heavy branch high above her head until Matthew tugged it down for her to pick from. Other times she’d be sitting cross legged on the ground and holding out fruit to Matthew, who was lying flat out in front of her. He’d lick the berries carefully from her hands with one long tongue, chuffing at her giggles and whining for more fruit. Clayton wasn’t sure he’d ever seen something so cute. 

Ada would routinely run back over to check in with him, rotating between dumping handfuls of sticky fruit in his basket that she had “helped pick” and stealing just as many as she gave him. Eventually her own basket was dumped beside him, stained with berry juice but notably devoid of any actual berries. He wasn’t sure if she’d eaten some or fed them all to Matty, but it didn’t matter either way. He’d finish filling his, then fill hers, so she could take something back to her mamas.

He looked behind him at the shriek, and immediately broke into a smile. Ada and Matthew were chasing butterflies. He hadn’t noticed them when they first came into the clearing, but a few small white butterflies were flitting around in the grass, landing on flowers and sunning their wings. Ada ran after them, hands outstretched in an attempt to catch them before they took flight again. Matthew was trying too, lumbering along behind her and… Clayton supposed he was trying to pounce, but it looked more like a comical flopping to the ground, Matthew too large and bulky to really be able to pounce on anything, especially something that small. Every time he did Ada laughed, an eruption of giggles and shrieks that did nothing to help with the butterfly hunt, or Matthew’s grace.

He set his basket down and sat back to watch, munching on a berry. As he watched Ada crouched down, shuffling closer to one particular flower in a funny squat with her hands outstretched, face furrowed in concentration. Beside her Matthew crouched down in a particularly ungraceful lump, ‘sneaking’ towards the flower with his snout along the ground and his ass in the air. Clayton snorted, trying to keep his giggles from interrupting the very serious butterfly hunting that was taking place.

Ada pounced, and Matthew pounced with her, the resounding thud from his massive form sending a flurry of butterflies into the air around them. Ada started giggling again, whole body shaking with laughter at the disgruntled look on Matthew’s fuzzy face.

“Uncle Matty, you’re so _bad_ at this!”

He chuffed and poked her belly with his snout, making her giggle harder, hands pushing at his fur. She sat up and hugged his head, then spoke quieter so Clayton had to strain to hear.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to be good at catching butterflies. You can just be good at bein’ my Uncle Matty.”

Clayton hid his smile behind his hand as Matthew nuzzled closer, licking her cheek and hair. He was so glad she was okay with this, okay with having an uncle who was sometimes a giant bear. Her and Matthew were nearly inseparable, whether he was shifted or not, getting along like two peas in a pod. And she needed people, good people. Her mamas were doing their best, but they were new to this – as new as Matthew and Clayton were to being uncles. She’d been with them nearly a year, now. The fact that Ada trusted them, and loved them just as much as they loved her, always felt like something special.

Ada looked towards him and he quickly re-focused on the berry bush, trying to pretend he hadn’t been watching them. A few moments later and the soft thud of bare feet in the grass had him turning, just in time to catch an armful of niece.

“I love you, Uncle Clay!” She smacked a kiss on his cheek, picked up her basket, and ran back to Matthew, who was watching him with a dopey, toothy grin. Clayton’s heart melted, as it always did when Ada turned her affection on him, or when Matthew gave him doe eyes.

 _They’ve turned you into a sap, Sharpe,_ he told himself, but couldn’t stop smiling. He blew her a kiss when she looked back, calling across the clearing. “I love you too, sweetie!” 


	2. In which Ada and Matthew pull off a cookie caper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks! Here's the next tiny chapter of the adventures of Ada and her uncles. 
> 
> If someone prompted this one, I didn't write it down and can't remember, so apologies! But anyway - here, have some adorable shenanigans!

Matthew crept closer to the kitchen, peering around the doorway then ducking back quickly. “They’re there,” he whispered, “on the table. We wait until he’s not looking, sneak in and grab ‘em, then we _run_ like our lives are depending on it, okay?” Ada nodded seriously at him, face determined. Matthew gave her a grave look. “It’s a dangerous mission. We can’t let him catch us.”

“I won’t, Uncle Matty,” she said, clenching her fists in anticipation. “I’m _fast_.”

“I know you are, sweetheart.” He ruffled her hair then peeked around the doorway again, eyeing their objective and the unwitting guard standing in the kitchen. Ada peered too, crouched and ready to run. “He’s not looking, _go go go go go_ -"

They snuck into the kitchen, silent as mice. Ada reached the table first, slowly stretching out a hand to grab one of the plates. Matthew grabbed the other one and whirled around, booking it for the doorway. “GO, ADA, _GO_ _GO GO GO_ -"

Ada erupted into giggles and ran after him, cookies slipping off the plate she was haphazardly carrying.

“Oh for the love of – MATTHEW!” He looked behind him and saw Clayton throwing off his oven mitts and booking it after them.

“RUN, ADA, INTO THE BEDROOM!! HE'LL NEVER CATCH US ALIVE!” Matthew hollered, throwing a cookie back at Clayton and cackling as he dodged. “TAKE THAT, YOU SCOUNDREL!” 

Ada’s laughter rang out loud and clear, somehow still holding onto her plate as they skidded around the corner and into the bedroom. “Quick, Uncle Matty, the door!” she managed between giggles, making for the bed. Matthew whirled around and closed the door just in time, catching a glimpse of Clayton’s mock-outrage as the door slammed shut.

“Release my cookies!” Clayton yelled through the door, rattling the handle and pushing hard. Matthew leaned all his weight against the door, easily keeping it closed, and threw a wink at Ada. She was collapsed on her side on top of the bed now, body shaking from laughter.

“Never! You’ve kept the cookies from us for too long I say, too long!” Matthew slid down to sit against the floor, setting his plate of cookies beside him. He’d only lost a few, well worth the cost of a plate of warm chocolate chips cookies. “It was our duty to free these cookies from your tyranny and give them a home!”

“Y’all are gonna get stomach aches if you eat all of ‘em!” Clayton called through the door, rattling it once more. Ada rolled off the bed and brought her loot closer, sitting on the floor beside Matthew. They both picked up a cookie, looked at each other, and took a big bite.

“It'll be well worth the cost!” Matthew hollered back, mouth full of cookie.

“… you’re eating them right now, ain’t ya. Shoulda known I couldn’t trust you two ne'er do wells!” Clayton’s voice started to move away, and Matthew gave Ada a high-five. “Good riddance, cookie thieves!”

Matthew took another bite, savouring the fresh cookie. Clayton really _was_ an excellent baker. Ada beamed at him, chocolate smeared on her cheeks.

“Well done, soldier, we defeated the enemy baker and freed the cookies. A fight well won.” Matthew whispered to Ada. She just giggled and picked up another cookie. Matthew held out his cookie and clicked it against hers in a toast. “Now how long do you think we have before he tries to come in through the window?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miriam, holding up her rolling pin later: If you teach your food-thieving ways to my daughter...   
> Matthew, very innocently holding a cookie jar in one arm and Ada in the other: I would _never_!
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope y'all enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! I hope you enjoyed this tiny girl and her uncles. Next chapter will be up whenever I get around to editing it. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated <3 
> 
> I am on [the tumblr](https://thetragicallynerdy.tumblr.com/) if you feel like saying hi!


End file.
